You just turn up, stand in front of the mic and sing. There\u2019s tuning, no adjusting the sound, it\u2019s just you and your voice.
\nSounds simple enough \u2013 there\u2019s no kit to carry \u2013 and if you are blessed with a decent voice, you\u2019re good to go.
\nBut it\u2019s not that simple is it? Yours is a support role for the star of the show, the worship leader, and in many respects you have to make him or her look good. It\u2019s the ultimate act of humility, which means your job is the most difficult of all. It seems like a thankless task but what you do is extremely valuable because you have the same instrument as the congregation. If you get it wrong everyone notices but if a bass player or a guitarist gets it wrong, only bass players and guitarists in the congregation notice.
\nSo here\u2019s a guide to help you become even more unnoticeable. We know, it\u2019s a hard life\u2026<\/p>\n
1 Don\u2019t\u2026 miss cues<\/strong> 2 Don\u2019t\u2026 lengthen every note<\/strong> 3 Don\u2019t\u2026\u00a0 overuse vibrato<\/strong> \u00a04 Don\u2019t\u2026 keep coming in late<\/strong> 5 Do\u2026 keep harmonies in tune<\/strong> 6 Don\u2019t\u2026. be the wannabe that upstages the lead vocalist<\/strong> 7 Do\u2026 give yourself a break<\/strong> 8 Do … learn to harmonise<\/strong> 9 Don\u2019t \u2026 keep singing chorally 10 Don\u2019t\u2026 clash, do blend<\/strong> If you are new to this, then break yourself in slowly. There is nothing more uplifting than a beautifully sung harmony, but then again, there\u2019s nothing worse than a badly sung one too. It\u2019s a fine balance. You have been chosen to blend harmonies to lift the worship, not just to sing the melody. The congregation sings the melody and if you do this all the time then you are doing nothing more than adding to the noise. Most churches tell the worship leader to stick the melody \u2013 that\u2019s his or her job \u2013 but your job is to, well\u2026 make the vocals sound better. That\u2019s pretty much it. Harmonies are altogether lovely so learn how to harmonise properly even if it means singing along to worship albums in your bedroom. Just try not to wake the neighbours.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nGetting \u2018lost\u2019 in worship is to be encouraged. The spirit guides you and there\u2019s nothing quite like singing with a passion and a heart that\u2019ll connect you with God. It\u2019s a powerful thing. However, you must remember that you have been chosen to do a job and that job is to serve the congregation with your voice. Service is the most powerful part of worship and if God has been good enough to bless you with the voice of an angel it\u2019s your responsibility to use it responsibly. Missing cues suggests that you don\u2019t really care about leading the congregation and helping the worship leader do his or her job. Be helpful, pay attention and be professional.<\/p>\n
\nThis is the backing vocalist\u2019s equivalent of a guitar solo. The lengthened note is symptomatic of a backing vocalist who wants to be noticed \u2013 a sort of \u2018look at me, ain\u2019t I a beautiful singer\u2019 cry for help. A backing vocalist who does this regularly is monumentally annoying. The lengthened note sounds like an attempt to upstage the worship leader, particularly if the worship leader doesn\u2019t have a fantastic voice. Don\u2019t do this: keep true to the melody and if the chart says it wants crotchet at the end of the line don\u2019t stick a semi-breve in there.<\/p>\n
\nUse vibrato when it\u2019s appropriate: if you keep plundering this technique you can sound like Rolf Harris\u2019s wobbleboard. A singer who understands vibrato is manna from heaven \u2013he or she can use it to great effect and its power can be overwhelming. There is a caveat though: on the more tender songs it just sounds try hard particularly if the vocalist has a technique that makes them look like Shirley Bassey. Jazzy types who have been watching too many Cleo Laine videos can be off-putting too.<\/p>\n
\nThere\u2019s two parts to this. First of all, you may think that because you don\u2019t have a musical instrument to set up that you can turn up when you like. Drop the \u2018I\u2019ll just rock up when I want\u2019 mentality, and adopt the \u2018I\u2019ll turn up when the rest of the band turns up\u2019 approach, because if you don\u2019t it looks like you are just happy to be a part-time member of the band. Be involved. The second part to this is\u2026 don\u2019t keep coming in late, musically. It is irritating for a worship leader who has drummed into everyone the importance of timing yet the singer just keeps meandering into a song. Be positive, be confident and take the trouble to learn when it\u2019s time to begin the song.<\/p>\n
\nAn out-of-tune harmony sounds like a tugboat scraping along a harbour wall. There\u2019s that \u2018Oh Lord, make it stop\u2019 feeling that pervades the whole church. The dodgy harmony may have only lasted a couple of seconds but that wince seems to last as long as the entire length of Madame Butterfly. Be clear about the sound you want to make: practice it, hear it and if you are not confident that you haven\u2019t quite got it right then stick to the melody.<\/p>\n
\nWe alluded to this in number 2, but it is tempting to try to upstage the worship leader, or even the number one lead vocalist. Sure you might have a better voice, sure you might have a greater understanding of music and sure, technically, you are the better vocalist but know your place. If you have been chosen to be the number 2 vocalist \u2013 for whatever reason (you may be new to the band, or the number 1 vocalist has been chosen because of a confidence crisis) \u2013 be humble and support whoever you are singing with. Not all number 1 vocalists are the best, but they have been chosen to serve and you must do the same. There is a classic story of a well-established worship leader who started out cleaning the toilets. He did it without complaining and he understood the principle of servanthood. You might need to do the same.<\/p>\n
\nA worship leader might give you free rein to sing when you like. He or she has put enough trust in you to allow you choose when and when not to sing. It\u2019s not necessary to sing all of the time and all band members (including drummers) learn when it\u2019s appropriate to stop playing. God knows your heart and he particularly loves a humble heart. You can almost rejoice in the \u2018not singing\u2019 \u2013 it sounds weird but there is beauty in your own silence and it gives you the chance to listen to Him and understand what he is saying to you. Clearly, you can overplay the underplay \u2013 the worship leader doesn\u2019t want a mute backing singer.<\/p>\n
\nIf you are new to this, then break yourself in slowly. There is nothing more uplifting than a beautifully sung harmony, but then again, there\u2019s nothing worse than a badly sung one too. It\u2019s a fine balance. You have been chosen to blend harmonies to lift the worship, not just to sing the melody. The congregation sings the melody and if you do this all the time then you are doing nothing more than adding to the noise. Most churches tell the worship leader to stick the melody \u2013 that\u2019s his or her job \u2013 but your job is to, well\u2026 make the vocals sound better. That\u2019s pretty much it. Harmonies are altogether lovely so learn how to harmonise properly even if it means singing along to worship albums in your bedroom. Just try not to wake the neighbours.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The choral sound is great\u2026 in a choir so keep the Katherine Jenkins-soundalike stuff to a minimum in contemporary worship songs. Have you heard someone singing \u2018He brought me to his banqueting table\u2019 in a choral style? Well, we have and it sounded quite horrific. There are moments in life that stick out in your memory and that unmistakeable choral tone used as backing to a Kevin Prosch \u2018classic\u2019 is in the \u2018That was truly awful, wasn\u2019t it?\u2019 category. If you are invited to sing in the choir at the Christmas Carol service give it your best Kiri te Kanawa, but in other circumstances be secure in the knowledge that the choral stuff in modern Christian music sounds dreadful.<\/p>\n
\nIf you are one of a number of backing vocalists (two or three is usually enough) then listen out for each and do your best not to clash. Work out the harmonies and keep them simple. Also, try to keep the volume levels consistent so that one voice doesn\u2019t dominate the other. There is a tendency, that if one person has a stronger voice, the other becomes a shrinking violet and can\u2019t be heard. That\u2019s not the point \u2013 you are there to blend and if is really apparent that one is louder than the other, see if you can get the sound man to adjust the levels accordingly.<\/p>\nMusicademy Harmony and Backing Vocals Course<\/h2>\n